eagle

From Middle English egle, from Anglo-Norman egle, from Old French aigle, from Latin aquila. Displaced native Middle English ern, earn, arn, from Old English earn (“eagle”). More at erne.

I got an eagle in the third hole.

(golf) A score of two under par for a hole.

eagle

in golf, a score of two under par for a hole


eagle

en-verb

eagle (third-person singular simple present eagles, present participle eagling, simple past and past participle eagled)

eagles (present singular third-person)
eagling (participle present)
eagled (participle past)
eagled (past)

→ Danish: eagle

→ French: eagle


can

can (third-person singular simple present cans, present participle canning, simple past and past participle canned)

cans (present singular third-person)
canning (participle present)
canned (participle past)
canned (past)
can (infinitive)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-can.wav

From Middle English canne, from Old English canne (“glass, container, cup, can”), from Proto-Germanic *kannǭ (“can, tankard, mug, cup”).

inh

I thought I had canned it, but it just missed, and I tapped in the second one for a par.

1958, Dick Mayer, How to Think and Swing Like a Golf Champion, page 186:

(golf, slang, transitive) To hole the ball.


ace

→ Japanese: エース (ēsu)

→ Korean: 에이스 (eiseu)

→ Russian: эйс (ejs)

→ Swedish: ess

(?) → Finnish: ässä

Inherited from Middle English as, from Old French as, from Latin as, assis (“unity, copper coin, the unit of coinage”). Doublet of as. Likely related or deriving ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁éǵʰs, or otherwise taking from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- (“sharp, pointed”) in the sense of "singular".

der

"Most of the aces weren't on holes I would have liked to have made them on," confessed Colk, who dropped his fifth dodo of 1935 on December 29, which was believed at the time to be a record for most aces in a year.

2012, Arv Olson, Backspin: 120 Years of Golf in British Columbia, page 253:


ace

en-verb

ace (third-person singular simple present aces, present participle acing, simple past and past participle aced)

aces (present singular third-person)
acing (participle present)
aced (participle past)
aced (past)


thin

en-adj

thin (comparative thinner, superlative thinnest)

thinner (comparative)
thinnest (superlative)

From Middle English thinne, thünne, thenne, from Old English þynne, from Proto-West Germanic *þunnī, from Proto-Germanic *þunnuz (“thin”) – compare *þanjaną (“to stretch, spread out”) – from Proto-Indo-European *ténh₂us (“thin”), from *ten- (“to stretch”).
Cognate with German dünn, Dutch dun, West Frisian tin, Icelandic þunnur, Danish tynd, Swedish tunn, Latin tenuis, Irish tanaí, Welsh tenau, Latvian tievs, Polish cienki, Russian тонкий (tonkij), Sanskrit तनु (tanú, “thin”), Persian تنگ (tang, “narrow”). Doublet of tenuis. Also related to tenuous.

(golf) Describing a poorly played golf shot where the ball is struck by the bottom part of the club head. See fat, shank, toe.


green

en-noun

green (countable and uncountable, plural greens)

→⇒ Chinese: 果嶺 /果岭 (guǒlǐng)

→ Czech: green

→ Danish: green

→ Dutch: green

→ Finnish: griini

→ German: Green

→ Marshallese: kūriin

Etymology tree
Proto-Germanic *grōniz
Proto-Indo-European *-h₂
Proto-Indo-European *-ih₂
Proto-Germanic *-į̄
Proto-West Germanic *-ī
Proto-West Germanic *grōnī
Old English grēne
Middle English grene
English green
From Middle English grene, from Old English grēne, from Proto-West Germanic *grōnī, from Proto-Germanic *grōniz, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰreh₁- (“to grow”). More at grow.
See also North Frisian green, West Frisian grien, Dutch groen, Low German grön, green, greun, German grün, Danish and Norwegian Nynorsk grøn, Swedish grön, Norwegian Bokmål grønn, Icelandic grænn.
The sense "obscene, pornographic, sexual" in the Philippines is from a calque of Spanish verde.

der

I gave him my putter earlier this year in Oklahoma City. He was having trouble on the greens and I said, ‘Here, try this.’ He did, and he’s been going great guns ever since.

1964 June 16, Arnold Palmer, quotee, “All Eyes On Lema At U.S. Open This Week”, in The Indianapolis Star, volume 62, number 11, Indianapolis, Ind., page 22:

There are eighteen holes but I dare any visitor to find more than, say, twelve fairways and seven or eight greens.

2010, Dan Jenkins, Fairways and Greens, →ISBN, page 233:

(golf) A putting green, the part of a golf course near the hole.


third

en-noun

third (countable and uncountable, plural thirds)

PIE word
 *tréyes
From Middle English thirde, thridde, from Old English þridda, from Proto-Germanic *þridjô, from Pre-Germanic *tretyós, a remodeling of Proto-Indo-European *tr̥tyós.

(golf) A handicap of one stroke every third hole.


toe

en-verb

toe (third-person singular simple present toes, present participle toeing, simple past and past participle toed)

toes (present singular third-person)
toeing (participle present)
toed (participle past)
toed (past)

From Middle English to, from Old English tā, (Mercian) tāhe, from Proto-West Germanic *taihā, from Proto-Germanic *taihwǭ, from *tīhwaną (“to show, announce”), from Proto-Indo-European *deyḱ- (“to show”).
See also Dutch teen, German Zehe, Danish tå, Swedish tå; also Old English teōn (“to accuse”), German zeihen (“to accuse, blame”); also Hittite [script needed] (tekkuššāi), Latin dīcere (“to say”), digitus (“finger”), Ancient Greek δείκνυμι (deíknumi, “to point out, show”), Sanskrit दिदेष्टि (dídeṣṭi), दिशति (diśáti).

cog

(golf, transitive) To mishit a golf ball with the toe of the club.


ostrich

ostriches (plural)
estridge (alternative)

/ˈɒs.tɹɪt͡ʃ/

/ˈɒs.tɹɪd͡ʒ/

/ˈɔs.tɹɪt͡ʃ/

/ˈɑs.tɹɪt͡ʃ/

/ˈɔs.tɹɪd͡ʒ/

/ˈɑs.tɹɪd͡ʒ/

From Middle English ostrich, ostriche, ostryche, ostrige, borrowed from Anglo-Norman ostrige and Old French ostruce, from Vulgar Latin *austruthio, from Latin avis (“bird”) + strūthiō (“ostrich”), from Ancient Greek στρουθίων (strouthíōn), or shortened from strūthiocamēlus, from Ancient Greek στρουθιοκάμηλος (strouthiokámēlos), from στρουθός (strouthós, “sparrow”) + κάμηλος (kámēlos, “camel”). Compare Spanish avestruz and Portuguese avestruz.

der

στρουθιοκάμηλος

(golf) The hypothetical completion of a hole five strokes under par (a quintuple birdie, quadruple eagle, triple albatross, or double condor).


hole

→ Japanese: ホール (hōru)

→ Korean: 홀 (hol)

Sranan Tongo: olo

Inherited from Middle English hole, hol, from Old English hol (“orifice, hollow place, cavity”), from Proto-West Germanic *hol, from Proto-Germanic *hulą (“hollow space, cavity”), noun derivative of Proto-Germanic *hulaz (“hollow”), which is of uncertain ultimate origin. Related to hollow.

отвор

orifice (see anus etc. for specific body cavities)

know one's ass from a hole in the ground

know one's head from a hole in the ground

know the difference between one's ass and a hole in the ground

(golf) A subsurface standard-size hole, also called cup, hitting the ball into which is the object of play. Each hole, of which there are usually eighteen as the standard on a full course, is located on a prepared surface, called the green, of a particular type grass.

I played 18 holes yesterday.  The second hole today cost me three strokes over par.

(golf) The part of a game in which a player attempts to hit the ball into one of the holes.


wood

en-noun

wood (countable and uncountable, plural woods)

Sranan Tongo: udu

PIE word
 *dwóh₁
From Middle English wode, from Old English wudu, widu (“wood, forest, grove; tree; timber”), from Proto-West Germanic *widu, from Proto-Germanic *widuz (“wood”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁weydʰh₁- (“to separate”).
Cognate with Dutch wede (“wood, twig”), Middle High German wite (“wood”), Danish ved (“wood”), Swedish ved (“firewood”), Icelandic viður (“wood”). Further cognates include Irish fiodh (“a wood, tree”), Irish fid (“tree”) and Welsh gwŷdd (“trees”); all from Proto-Celtic *widus (“wood”). Unrelated to Dutch woud (“forest”), German Wald (“forest”) (see English wold).

der

(countable, golf) A type of golf club, the head of which was traditionally made of wood.


dub

en-verb

dub (third-person singular simple present dubs, present participle dubbing, simple past and past participle dubbed)

dubs (present singular third-person)
dubbing (participle present)
dubbed (participle past)
dubbed (past)


draw

draw (third-person singular simple present draws, present participle drawing, simple past drew, past participle drawn or (colloquial and nonstandard) drew)

draws (present singular third-person)
drawing (participle present)
drew (past)
drawn (participle past)
drew (colloquial nonstandard participle past)
draw (infinitive)

From Middle English drawen, draȝen, dragen (“to drag, pull, push, draw (out), go to, make, add, etc.”), from Old English dragan, from Proto-West Germanic *dragan, from Proto-Germanic *draganą, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰregʰ- (“to draw, pull”). Doublet of drag and draught.
Cognates
* Albanian dredh (“to turn, spin”)
* Danish drage
* Dutch dragen
* German tragen (“to carry”)
* Old Armenian դառնամ (daṙnam, “to turn”)
* Sanskrit ध्रजस् (dhrájas, “gliding course or motion”)
* West Frisian drage

snímat

cardgames: to take the top card of a deck into hand

every miller draws water to his own mill

one hair of a woman can draw more than a hundred pair of oxen

[…] the golfer thinks, “Ah! To draw the ball, I must be like the old pros and incorporate hand action through impact, twisting the clubhead to the left.” All you have to do to apply the spin needed to draw the ball left is to create a very small conflict between the clubface aim and the path the clubhead is traveling.

(golf) To hit (the ball) with the toe of the club so that it is deflected toward the left.


draw

en-noun

draw (countable and uncountable, plural draws)

(golf) A golf shot that (for the right-handed player) curves intentionally to the left. See hook, slice, fade.


face

→ Danish: fjæs

→ Norwegian:

Norwegian Bokmål: fjes

Norwegian Nynorsk: fjes

→ Swedish: fejs, fjäs

→ Wu: 番斯 (¹fe-sy)

Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-?
Latin faciēs
Late Latin facia
Old French facebor.
Middle English face
English face
From Middle English face, from Old French face, from Late Latin facia, from Latin faciēs (“form, appearance”). Doublet of facies. Displaced native onlete (“face, countenance, appearance”), anleth (“face”), from Old English anwlite, andwlita, compare German Antlitz; Old English ansīen (“face”), Middle English neb (“face, nose”) (from Old English nebb), Middle English ler, leor, leer (“face, cheek, countenance”) (from Old English hlēor), and non-native Middle English vis (“face, appearance, look”) (from Old French vis) and Middle English chere (“face”) from Old French chere.
In the sense of face as in reputation, influenced by Chinese 面子 (miànzi) or 臉／脸 (liǎn), both of which mean literally the front of the head and metaphorically one's public image. See lose face.

noncog

talk to the hand 'cause the face ain't listening

(golf) The part of a golf club that hits the ball.

lyöntipinta

golf: part of a golf club that hits the ball


heel

From Middle English hele, from Old English hēla, from Proto-West Germanic *hą̄hilō, from Proto-Germanic *hanhilaz, diminutive of Proto-Germanic *hanhaz (“heel, hock”), equivalent to hock + -le. More at hock.
Compare North Frisian haiel, West Frisian hyl, Dutch hiel, German Low German Hiel, Danish and Norwegian hæl, Swedish häl.

couldn't pour water out of a boot with the instructions on the heel

(golf) The part of a club head's face nearest the shaft.

kanta

golf: part of the face of the club head nearest the shaft


heel

en-verb

heel (third-person singular simple present heels, present participle heeling, simple past and past participle heeled)

heels (present singular third-person)
heeling (participle present)
heeled (participle past)
heeled (past)

(golf, transitive) To hit (the ball) with the heel of the club.


dodo

Uncertain. Perhaps from obsolete Portuguese doudo (“fool, simpleton, silly, stupid”) or Dutch dodaars. First attested in the 17th century.


down

en-verb

down (third-person singular simple present downs, present participle downing, simple past and past participle downed)

downs (present singular third-person)
downing (participle present)
downed (participle past)
downed (past)

From Middle English doun, doune, from Old English dūne (“down”), aphetic form of adūne (“down, downward”), from earlier ofdūne (“down”, literally “off the hill”), from of (“of, off of”) + dūn (“hill, mount, dune, down”). More at Etymology 2 below. For the development from directional phrases to prepositions, compare Middle Low German dāle (“down, downwards”, literally “(in/to the) dale/valley”), whence German Low German dal (“down”). Compare also Saterland Frisian deel (“down”, literally “to/into the dale”).

ncog

He downed two balls on the break.

(transitive, golf, pocket billiards) To sink (a ball) into a hole or pocket.


pin

→ Norwegian Nynorsk: pins

→ Polish: pin

→ Spanish: pin

→ Swahili: pini

→ Swedish: pin, pins

From Middle English pinne, from Old English pinn (“pin, peg, bolt”), from Proto-Germanic *pinnaz, *pinnō, *pint- (“protruding point, peak, peg, pin, nail”), from Proto-Indo-European *bend- (“protruding object, pointed peg, nail, edge”). Related to pen (“enclosure”).
Cognate with Dutch pin (“peg, pin”), Low German pin, pinne (“pin, point, nail, peg”), German Pinn, Pinne (“pin, tack, peg”), Bavarian Pfonzer, Pfunzer (“sharpened point”), Danish pind (“pin, pointed stick”), Norwegian pinn (“stick”), Swedish pinne (“peg, rod, stick”), Icelandic pinni (“pin”). More at pintle.
No relation to classical Latin pinna (“fin, flipper, wing-like appendage, wing, feather”), which was extended to mean "ridge, peak, point" (compare pinnacle), and often confused with Latin penna (“wing, feather”). More at feather and pen (Etymology 3).

cog

(golf) The flagstick: the flag-bearing pole which marks the location of a hole


break

From Middle English breken, from Old English brecan (“to break”), from Proto-West Germanic *brekan, from Proto-Germanic *brekaną (“to break”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg- (“to break”). The word is a doublet of bray.
Cognates
Cognates of Germanic origin include Scots brek (“to break”), West Frisian brekke (“to break”), Dutch breken (“to break”), Low German breken (“to break”), German brechen (“to break”), French broyer (“to crush, grind”), Gothic 𐌱𐍂𐌹𐌺𐌰𐌽 (brikan, “to break, destroy”), Norwegian brek (“desire, yearning”).
Also cognate with Albanian brishtë (“fragile”), Latin frangō (“break, break up, shatter”, verb), whence English fracture and other terms – fragile, frail, fraction, and fragment.

cog

(golf) The curve imparted to the ball's motion on the green due to slope or grass texture.


cut

en-noun

cut (countable and uncountable, plural cuts)

From Middle English cutten, kitten, kytten, ketten (“to cut”) (compare Scots kut, kit (“to cut”)), of North Germanic origin, from Old Norse *kytja, *kutta, from Proto-Germanic *kutjaną, *kuttaną (“to cut”), of uncertain origin, perhaps related to Proto-Germanic *kwetwą (“meat, flesh”) (compare Old Norse kvett (“meat”)). Akin to Middle Swedish kotta (“to cut or carve with a knife”) (compare dialectal Swedish kåta, kuta (“to cut or chip with a knife”), Swedish kuta, kytti (“a knife”)), Norwegian Bokmål kutte (“to cut”), Norwegian Nynorsk kutte (“to cut”), Icelandic kuta (“to cut with a knife”), Old Norse kuti (“small knife”), Norwegian kyttel, kytel, kjutul (“pointed slip of wood used to strip bark”). Displaced native Middle English snithen (from Old English snīþan; compare German schneiden), which still survives in some dialects as snithe or snead. See snide. Adjective sense of "drunk" (now rare and now usually used in the originally jocular derivative form of half-cut) dates from the 17th century, from cut in the leg, to have cut your leg, euphemism for being very drunk.

leikkaus

notch, passage, or channel made by cutting or digging

(golf) In a stroke play competition, the early elimination of those players who have not then attained a preannounced score, so that the rest of the competition is less pressed for time and more entertaining for spectators.


drive

en-noun

drive (countable and uncountable, plural drives)

[d̠ɹ̠ ̝ʷaɪv]

From Middle English driven, from Old English drīfan (“to drive, force, move”), from Proto-West Germanic *drīban, from Proto-Germanic *drībaną (“to drive”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰreybʰ- (“to drive, push”).
Cognates
Cognate with Scots drive (“to drive”), North Frisian driwe (“to drive”), Saterland Frisian drieuwe (“to drive”), West Frisian driuwe (“to chase, drive, impel”), Dutch drijven (“to drive”), Low German drieven (“to drive, drift, push”), German treiben (“to drive, push, propel”), Norwegian Bokmål drive, Danish drive (“to drive, run, force”), Norwegian Nynorsk driva, Swedish driva (“to drive, power, drift, push, force”), Icelandic drífa (“to drive, hurry, rush”).


lie

From Middle English lien, liggen, from Old English liċġan, from Proto-West Germanic *liggjan, from Proto-Germanic *ligjaną, from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ-.
Cognate with West Frisian lizze, Dutch liggen, German liegen, Danish and Norwegian Bokmål ligge, Swedish ligga, Icelandic, Faroese and Norwegian Nynorsk liggja, Gothic 𐌻𐌹𐌲𐌰𐌽 (ligan); and with Latin lectus (“bed”), Irish luí, Russian лежа́ть (ležátʹ), Albanian lag (“troop, band, encampment”).
As a noun for position, the noun has the same etymology above as the verb.

(golf) The terrain and conditions surrounding the ball before it is struck.


card

en-verb

card (third-person singular simple present cards, present participle carding, simple past and past participle carded)

cards (present singular third-person)
carding (participle present)
carded (participle past)
carded (past)

From Middle English carde (“playing card”), from Old French carte, from Latin charta, from Ancient Greek χάρτης (khártēs, “paper, papyrus”). Doublet of chart.

der

McIlroy carded a stellar nine-under-par 61 in the final round.

(transitive, golf) To make (a stated score), as recorded on a scoring card.


remade

While it is, unfortunately, true that a certain proportion of new balls crack—and a larger percentage of remades, doubtless incidental to the shell of the latter being made somewhat thinner in the remoulding process, […]

1909, W. J. Travis, Practical Golf, page 196:

George Fernie's nephew, Willie, testified that at least two dozen balls were made in 1893 and sold to players as 'remades' at 8d each.

2001, Kevin McGimpsey, David Neech, Golf: Implements and Memorabilia, page 76:

(golf) A golf ball made from reclaimed materials.


run

en-verb

run (third-person singular simple present runs, present participle running, simple past ran, past participle run or (nonstandard, colloquial) ran)

runs (present singular third-person)
running (participle present)
ran (past)
run (participle past)
ran (colloquial nonstandard participle past)
run (infinitive)
rin (alternative)
ren (alternative)

From Middle English runnen, rennen (“to run”), alteration (due to the past participle runne, runnen,
yronne) of Middle English rinnen (“to run”), from Old English rinnan, iernan (“to run”) and Old Norse rinna (“to run”), both from Proto-Germanic *rinnaną (“to run”) (compare also *rannijaną (“to make run”)), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reyH- (“to boil, churn”).
Cognate with Scots rin (“to run”), West Frisian rinne (“to walk, march”), Dutch rennen (“to run, race”), Alemannic German ränne (“to run”), German rennen (“to run, race”), rinnen (“to flow”), Rhein, Danish rende (“to run”), Swedish ränna (“to run”), Swedish rinna (“to flow”), Icelandic renna (“to flow”). Non-Germanic cognates include Albanian rend (“to run, run after”). See random.

der

a lie can run around the world before the truth can get its boots on

hold with the hare and run with the hounds

run around like a chicken with its head cut off

the course of true love never did run smooth

you can't run with the hare and hunt with the hounds

you don't miss the water till the well runs dry

you never miss the water till the well runs dry

you never miss the water until the well runs dry

(golf) To strike (the ball) in such a way as to cause it to run along the ground, as when approaching a hole.


run

runs (plural)
rin (alternative)
ren (alternative)

rise

antonym(s) of “horizontal part of a step”

rise

antonym(s) of “horizontal distance of a set of stairs”

(golf) The movement communicated to a golf ball by running it.

juoksutus

golf: movement communicated to a golf ball by running it

(golf) The distance a ball travels after touching the ground from a stroke.

rulli

golf: distance a ball travels after touching the ground from a stroke


stick

en-noun

stick (countable and uncountable, plural sticks)

→ Catalan: estic

→ Italian: stick

→ Korean: 스틱 (seutik)

→ Portuguese: stique, estique

→ Sranan Tongo: tiki

From Middle English stikke (“stick, rod, twig”), from Old English sticca (“rod, twig”), from Proto-West Germanic *stikkō, from Proto-Germanic *stikkô, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)teyg- (“to pierce, prick, be sharp”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Stikke (“stick”), West Flemish stik (“stick”). Related to stigma.

der

better than a poke in the eye with a burnt stick

better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick

better than a poke in the eye with a shitty stick

it is easy to find a stick to beat a dog

His wedge shot bounced off the stick and went in the hole.

(golf) The pole bearing a small flag that marks the hole.

I doubted that the three iron was enough stick.

1988, William Hallberg, The Rub of the Green, page 219:

(sports, uncountable) Ability; specifically:

(golf) The long-range driving ability of a golf club.


stiff

en-adj

stiff (comparative stiffer, superlative stiffest)

stiffer (comparative)
stiffest (superlative)

From Middle English stiff, stiffe, stif, from Old English stīf, from Proto-West Germanic *stīf, from Proto-Germanic *stīfaz, from Proto-Indo-European *steypós.
See also West Frisian stiif, Dutch stijf, Norwegian Bokmål stiv, German steif; also Latin stīpes, stīpō, from which English stevedore.
The expected Modern English form would be /staɪf/; /stɪf/ is probably originally from compounds such as stiffly, where the vowel was shortened before a consonant cluster.

I go all out, go for the long ball, the stiff shots to the pin, aim for the back of the cup.

1968, William Price Fox, Southern Fried Plus Six: Short Works of Fiction, page 219:

(golf) Of a shot, landing so close to the flagstick that it should be very easy to sink the ball with the next shot.


iron

en-noun

iron (countable and uncountable, plural irons)

From Middle English iren, from Old English īsern, īsærn, īren, īsen, from Proto-West Germanic *īsarn, from Proto-Germanic *īsarną (“iron”), from Proto-Celtic *īsarnom (“iron”), a derivation from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ésh₂r̥ (“blood”).

The brassey much resembled the driver, but the iron opened out quite a new field of practice; […]

1902, Robert Marshall Grade, The Haunted Major:

(golf) A golf club used for middle-distance shots.


buzzard

From Middle English bosart, from Anglo-Norman buisart, from Old French busart, busard, a derivative ( + -ard) of Old French buison, buson (French buse), possibly from Latin būteō (“hawk”).


flat

en-adj

flat (comparative flatter, superlative flattest)

flatter (comparative)
flattest (superlative)
flatt (alternative)
flatte (alternative)

bumpy

antonym(s) of “having no variations in altitude”

→ Portuguese: flat

From Middle English flat, a borrowing from Old Norse flatr (compare Norwegian and Swedish flat, Danish flad), from Proto-Germanic *flataz, from Proto-Indo-European *pleth₂- (“flat”); akin to Saterland Frisian flot (“smooth”), German Flöz (“a geological layer”), Ancient Greek πλατύς (platús), Latvian plats, Sanskrit प्रथस् (prathas, “extension”). Doublet of plat and pleyt.
The noun is from Middle English flat (“level piece of ground, flat edge of a weapon”), from the adjective.
The algebraic sense was coined by Serre in a 1956 paper, originally as French plat.

inh

(golf, of a golf club) Having a head at a very obtuse angle to the shaft.


dead

en-adj

dead (not generally comparable, comparative deader, superlative deadest)

deader (comparative)
deadest (superlative)

From Middle English ded, deed, from Old English dēad, from Proto-West Germanic *daud, from Proto-Germanic *daudaz. Compare West Frisian dead, dea, Dutch dood, German tot, Danish, Norwegian død, Norwegian Nynorsk daud.

(to have) gone to one's final resting place

(not comparable, golf, of a golf ball) Lying so near the hole that the player is certain to hole it in the next stroke.


true

true (comparative truer or more true, superlative truest or most true)

truer (comparative)
more true (comparative)
truest (superlative)
most true (superlative)
trew (alternative)
trewe (alternative)
troo (alternative)

[t̠ɹ̠̊˔ʷu̠ː]

From Middle English trewe, from Old English trīewe, (Mercian) trēowe (“trusty, faithful”), from Proto-Germanic *triwwiz (compare Saterland Frisian trjou (“honest”), Dutch getrouw and trouw, German treu, Norwegian and Swedish trygg (“safe, secure’”), from pre-Germanic *drewh₂yos, from Proto-Indo-European *drewh₂- (“steady, firm”) (compare Irish dearbh (“sure”), Old Prussian druwis (“faith”), Ancient Greek δροόν (droón, “firm”)), extension of *dóru (“tree”) (possibly also Proto-Slavic *sъdorvъ (“healthy”) from the same root). More at tree. For the semantic development, compare Latin robustus (“tough”) from robur (“red oak”).

der

Whate'er the weapon, still his aim was true, Nor e'er in vain the fatal bullet flew.

1801, Mrs. Cowley, “The siege of Acre”, in The British Critic, volumes 17-18, page 521:

I held my breath and struck the ball. My aim was true, but I didn't give the damn thing enough gas. It died three feet from the cup.

2008, Carl Hiaasen, The downhill lie: a hacker's return to a ruinous sport, page 188:

(of an aim or missile in archery, shooting, golf, etc.) Accurate; following a path toward the target.


short

en-adj

short (comparative shorter, superlative shortest)

shorter (comparative)
shortest (superlative)

tall

antonym(s) of “having a small distance between ends or edges”

tall

antonym(s) of “of a person, of comparatively little height”

long

antonym(s) of “cricket, of a fielder or fielding position, relatively close to the batsman”

long

antonym(s) of “financial position expecting falling value”

From Middle English schort, short, from Old English sċeort, sċort (“short”), from Proto-West Germanic *skurt, from Proto-Germanic *skurtaz (“short”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker-.
Cognates
Cognate with shirt, skirt, curt, Scots short, schort (“short”), French court, Dutch kort, German kurz, Old High German scurz (“short”) (whence Middle High German schurz), Old Norse skorta (“to lack”) (whence Danish skorte), Albanian shkurt (“short, brief”), Latin curtus (“shortened, incomplete”) and Proto-Slavic *kortъkъ. Doublet of curt. More at shirt.

(golf, of an approach shot or putt) that falls short of the green or the hole.

lyhyt

golf: falling short of the green or the hole


pull

en-verb

pull (third-person singular simple present pulls, present participle pulling, simple past and past participle pulled)

pulls (present singular third-person)
pulling (participle present)
pulled (participle past)
pulled (past)

push

antonym(s) of “apply force to (something) so it comes towards one”

-ʊl (accents with foot–goose merger or full–fool merger)

Verb from Middle English pullen, from Old English pullian (“to pull, draw, tug, pluck off”), of uncertain ultimate origin. Related to West Frisian pûlje (“to shell, husk”), Middle Dutch pullen (“to drink”), Middle Dutch polen (“to peel, strip”), Low German pulen (“to pick, pluck, pull, tear, strip off husks”), Icelandic púla (“to work hard, beat”).
Noun from Middle English pul, pull, pulle, from the verb pullen (“to pull”).

cog

it's not the whistle that pulls the train

pull someone's chestnuts out of the fire

Never pull a straight fast ball to leg.

1888, Robert Henry Lyttelton, Cricket, Chapter 2:

(cricket, golf) To strike the ball in a particular manner. (See noun sense.)


pull

en-noun

pull (countable and uncountable, plural pulls)

button

antonym(s) of “device meant to be pulled”

have the world by the tail on a downhill pull

(golf) A mishit shot which travels in a straight line and (for a right-handed player) left of the intended path.


wedge

wedge (countable and uncountable, plural wedges)

From Middle English wegge (“wedge”), from Old English weċġ (“wedge”), from Proto-West Germanic *wagi, from Proto-Germanic *wagjaz.

(golf) A type of iron club used for short, high trajectories.


stroke

The noun is derived from Middle English strok, stroke (“blow from a weapon, cut”), from Old English strāc, from Proto-West Germanic *straik, from Proto-Germanic *straikaz (“stroke”), from Proto-Indo-European *streyg- (“to rub, stroke; to shear; to strike”).
Sense 3.6.2.2 (“the oblique, slash, or virgule (‘/’)”) is a contraction of oblique stroke, a variant of oblique which was originally used in telegraphy.
The verb is derived from the noun.
Cognates
* German Streich (“stroke”)
* Middle Low German strēk (“stroke, trick, prank”)
* Scots strak, strake, straik (“blow, stroke”)

isku

one of a series of beats or movements against a resisting medium, by means of which movement through or upon it is accomplished

ход

single movement or thrust of a part (such as a piston) of a machine that moves back and forth; length of this movement

خَطّ

line or mark made on a surface by an implement for drawing, writing, etc.

(ball games) An act of hitting or trying to hit a ball; also, the manner in which this is done.

(golf) A single act of striking at the ball with a club; also, at matchplay, a shot deducted from a player's score at a hole as a result of a handicapping system.

հարված

(golf) single act of striking at the ball with a club; at matchplay, a shot deducted from a player’s score at a hole as a result of a handicapping system


mark

en-verb

mark (third-person singular simple present marks, present participle marking, simple past and past participle marked)

marks (present singular third-person)
marking (participle present)
marked (participle past)
marked (past)
marke (alternative)
merk (alternative)
marc (alternative)

From Middle English mark, merk, merke, from Old English mearc (“mark, sign, line of division; standard; boundary, limit, term, border; defined area, district, province”), from Proto-West Germanic *marku, from Proto-Germanic *markō (“boundary; boundary marker”), from Proto-Indo-European *marǵ- (“edge, boundary, border”).
Compare march.
Cognates
* Dutch mark, merk (“mark, brand”)
* German Mark (“mark; borderland”), Marke (“mark, brand”)
* Swedish mark (“mark, land, territory”)
* Icelandic mark (“mark, sign”)
* Latin margo (“edge, margin”)
* Persian مرز (marz, “limit, boundary”)
* Sanskrit मर्या (maryā, “limit, mark, boundary”), मार्ग (mārga, “mark, section”).

cog

(golf) To put a marker in the place of one's ball.


putter

(golf) A golf club specifically intended for a putt.

(golf) A person who is taking a putt or putting.


pitch

From Middle English picchen, pycchen (“to thrust in, fasten, settle”), from Old English *piċċan, from Proto-West Germanic *pikkijan, a variant of Proto-West Germanic *pikkōn (“to pick, peck”), whence Middle English pikken, picken (“to pick, pierce”), modern English pick.

nyökkääminen

rotation angle about the transverse axis

килово клатене

nautical: measure of extent to which a vessel's bow and stern go up and down

(golf) A short, high, lofty shot that lands with backspin.


pitch

en-verb

pitch (third-person singular simple present pitches, present participle pitching, simple past and past participle pitched or (obsolete) pight)

pitches (present singular third-person)
pitching (participle present)
pitched (participle past)
pitched (past)
pight (obsolete participle past)
pight (obsolete past)

Spanish: pichar

uhrata

card games: discard a card for some gain

The only way to get on the green from here is to pitch the ball over the bunker.

(transitive, golf) To play a short, high, lofty shot that lands with backspin.

lyödä pitch

golf: play a short, high, lofty shot that lands with backspin


dunch

From Middle English dunche, perhaps from Old English *dynċ, from Proto-Germanic *dunkiz.
Compare Old Norse dykr, dynkr (“a crashing noise”), Danish dunk (“a blow”), Swedish dunk (“a thump, clap”), Norwegian dunk (“a knock, bump”).


fried egg

(golf, slang) A golf ball half-buried in sand in a bunker.


hook

sometimes in Northern England and Ireland, otherwise obsolete

From Middle English hoke, from Old English hōc, from Proto-West Germanic *hōk, from Proto-Germanic *hōkaz, variant of *hakô (“hook”), probably ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kog-, *keg-, *keng- (“peg, hook, claw”).
Cognates
Compare West Frisian heak, Dutch haak (“hook”)) (compare West Frisian/Dutch hoek (“hook, angle, corner”), Low German Hook, Huuk); also related to hake.

(golf) A golf shot that (for the right-handed player) curves unintentionally to the left. (See draw, slice, fade.)


hook

hook (third-person singular simple present hooks, present participle hooking, simple past and past participle hooked)

hooks (present singular third-person)
hooking (participle present)
hooked (participle past)
hooked (past)

"Hey, Sara! Watch this hook shot!" he shouted as he hooked the ball right through the net—swish!

2012, Roland Johnson, Jeremya Jones: A King's Kid, page 93:

(cricket, golf, basketball) To play a hook shot.


pure

pure (third-person singular simple present pures, present participle puring, simple past and past participle pured)

pures (present singular third-person)
puring (participle present)
pured (participle past)
pured (past)

From Middle English pure, pur, from Old French pur, from Latin pūrus (“clean, free from dirt or filth, unmixed, plain”), from Proto-Indo-European *pewH- (“to cleanse, purify”). Displaced native Middle English lutter (“pure, clear, sincere”) (from Old English hlūtor, hluttor), Middle English skere (“pure, sheer, clear”) (from Old English scǣre and Old Norse skǣr), Middle English schir (“clear, pure”) (from Old English scīr), Middle English smete, smeate (“pure, refined”) (from Old English smǣte; compare Old English mǣre (“pure”)).

noncog

Tiger Woods pured his first drive straight down the middle of the fairway.

(golf) To hit (the ball) completely cleanly and accurately.


Nassau

Borrowed from German Nassau, from German nass (“wet”). The Bahamian city is named after the German one.

(golf, gambling) A wager consisting essentially of three separate bets, for the best score on each of the front nine (holes 1–9), back nine (holes 10–18), and total 18 holes.


borrow

en-verb

borrow (third-person singular simple present borrows, present participle borrowing, simple past and past participle borrowed)

borrows (present singular third-person)
borrowing (participle present)
borrowed (participle past)
borrowed (past)
borrow (infinitive)
boro (alternative)

carry

the equivalent reverse procedure in the inverse operation of addition

From Middle English borwen, borȝien, Old English borgian (“to borrow, lend, pledge surety for”), from Proto-West Germanic *borgōn, from Proto-Germanic *burgōną (“to pledge, take care of”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰergʰ- (“to take care”).
Cognate with Dutch borgen (“to borrow, trust”), German borgen (“to borrow, lend”), Danish borge (“to vouch”). Related to Old English beorgan (“to save, preserve”). More at bury.

cog

(golf) To adjust one's aim in order to compensate for the slope of the green.


borrow

en-noun

borrow (countable and uncountable, plural borrows)

This putt has a big left-to right borrow on it.

The amount of borrow, as we term it, that must be taken from the side of any particular slope is entirely a matter of mathematical calculation, […]

1905, Harry Vardon, The Complete Golfer:

[…] slippery contours, so that in making a side hill putt more than the usual amount of borrow had to be considered.

2020, George C. Thomas, Golf Architecture in America: Its Strategy and Construction:

(golf, countable, uncountable) Deviation of the path of a rolling ball from a straight line; slope; slant.


away

From Middle English away, awey, awei, oway, o wey, on way, from Old English āweġ, onweġ (“away”), originally on weġ (“on one's way; onward; on”), equivalent to a- (“on”) + way.
Cognate with Scots awa, away (“away”), Old Frisian aweg, awei (“away”), Saterland Frisian wäch, wääge (“away”), Dutch weg (“away”), German weg (“away”), Danish væk (“away”), Swedish i väg (“away; off; along”).

For example, immediately after every person in the group has teed off, if you are clearly the away player (perhaps because you smacked your drive into the tree closest to the tee pad), you should grab your bag and try to be the first person advancing down the fairway.

2016, Justin Menickelli, Ryan Pickens, Definitive Guide to Disc Golf:

(golf) Being the player whose ball lies farthest from the hole (or, in disc golf, whose disc lies farthest from the target).


loft

loft (countable and uncountable, plural lofts)

From Middle English lofte (“air, sky, upper region, loft”), from Old English loft, (doublet of native Old English lyft) of North Germanic origin, from Old Norse lopt (“upper chamber, attic, region of sky, air”), from Proto-Germanic *luftuz (“air, sky”).
Akin to Scots lift (“air; sky; firmament”), Dutch lucht (“air”), German Luft (“air”), Old English lyft (“air”). Doublet of lift and luft. Related to aloft.

der

(golf) The pitch or slope of the face of a golf club (tending to drive the ball upward).


hybrid

Known in English since 1601, but rare before c. 1850. From Latin hybrida, a variant of hibrida (“a mongrel; specifically, offspring of a tame sow and a wild boar”).

mulard

of a domestic variety of mallard × female muscovy

Something of mixed origin or composition; often, a tool or technology that combines the benefits of formerly separate tools or technologies.

(golf) A golf club that combines the characteristics of an iron and a wood.


carry

From Middle English carrien, from Anglo-Norman carier (modern French charrier); from a derivative of Latin carrus (“four-wheeled baggage wagon”), ultimately of Gaulish origin.

(golf) The distance travelled by the ball when struck, until it hits the ground.


course

→ Gulf Arabic: كورس (kōrs)

From Middle English cours, from Old French cours, from Latin cursus (“course of a race”), from currō (“run”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱers- (“to run”). Doublet of cursus and cour.

polku

A path that something or someone moves along.


snowman

* snow + -man.
* (score of eight; card ranked eight): A typical snowman, built from two balls of snow, resembles a figure eight.

[The Angels] dropped a snowman early on us [Saturday] and we built a snowman early too.

1996 June 3, Buster Olney, “Chat with Sparky helps 'useless' Johnson Dejected O's manager gets lift from ex-Tigers boss”, in The Baltimore Sun (quoting B. J. Surhoff):

"Then they dropped a snowman (8) on us and did it pretty quick," Narron said. "Then Stone had to stay out there and suck it up for us […]"

2005 June 26, Dayton Daily News, page 44:

For me, another blow-up score of a snowman, 8, seems about right on this hole.

2018, Andre Huu, The Round of Your Life: A Book on Golf and Life, Archway Publishing, →ISBN:

(baseball, golf) A score of eight, especially within one inning (in baseball) or on one hole (in golf, where it is also known as dogballs).


putt

Borrowed from Scots putt (“to put”). Compare Middle Dutch putten (“to dig a pit”). The Old English putian (“to push; thrust; put; place”) derivation is commonly assumed, although no longer valid. In Dutch, the word is instanced in a description of golf in an early seventeenth-century edition of Pieter van Afferden's Tyrocinium linguae latinae. All derive from Proto-Germanic *putōną.

cog

(golf) The act of tapping a golf ball lightly on a putting green.


putt

en-verb

putt (third-person singular simple present putts, present participle putting, simple past and past participle putted)

putts (present singular third-person)
putting (participle present)
putted (participle past)
putted (past)

There were the golfers. Was it possible that they were going on with their game? Yes, there was a fellow driving off from a tee, and that other group upon the green were surely putting for the hole.

1913, Arthur Conan Doyle, “(please specify the page)”, in The Poison Belt […], London; New York, N.Y.: Hodder and Stoughton, →OCLC:

(golf) To lightly strike a golf ball with a putter.

fer un putt

to lightly strike a golf ball with a putter


top

en-noun

top (countable and uncountable, plural tops)

From Middle English top, toppe, from Old English top (“top, highest part; summit; crest; tassel, tuft; (spinning) top, ball; a tuft or ball at the highest point of anything”), from Proto-West Germanic *topp, from Proto-Germanic *tuppaz (“braid, pigtail, end”), of unknown ultimate origin.
Cognate with Scots tap (“top”), North Frisian top, tap, tup (“top”), Saterland Frisian Top (“top”), West Frisian top (“top”), Dutch top (“top, summit, peak”), Low German Topp (“top”), German Zopf (“braid, pigtail, plait, top”), Swedish topp (“top, peak, summit, tip”), Icelandic toppur (“top”).
The sense of a spinning toy is separated from this, obscurely related to Dutch top and dop in this sense, against Standard Dutch tol, and French toupie having this sense.

頂上

chōjō, ちょうじょう

suprulo

BDSM: dominant partner in a BDSM relationship or roleplay

主動 /主动

gay sexual slang: gay man who likes to penetrate in sex

one's elevator doesn't go all the way to the top

(golf, cue sports, racquet sports) A stroke on the top of the ball.

What is wanted is just the reverse - i.e top or overspin, which causes the ball to revolve in the direction in which it is going.

1886, E.T.Sachs, The Boys Own Annual: Lawn-Tennis of the Present, volume 9, page 778:

(golf, cue sports, racquet sports) A forward spin given to the ball by hitting it on or near the top; topspin.


top

en-verb

top (third-person singular simple present tops, present participle topping, simple past and past participle topped)

tops (present singular third-person)
topping (participle present)
topped (participle past)
topped (past)

(golf) To strike (the ball) above the centre; also, to make (a stroke, etc.) by hitting the ball in this way.


cup

→ Farefare: kɔpɩ

→ Hebrew: קאפ (kap)

→ Japanese: カップ (kappu)

desc

→ Kashubian: kopsa (Canada, United States)

→ Korean: 컵 (keop)

→ Maori: kapu

Inherited from Middle English cuppe, coppe, from the merger of Old English cuppe (“cup”) and Old English copp (“cup, vessel”).
Old English cuppe is a borrowing from Late Latin cuppa, itself of obscure origin, but probably from earlier Latin cūpa (“tub, cask”), from Proto-Indo-European *kewp- (“a hollow”). Old English copp, however, is from Proto-West Germanic *kopp (“round object, bowl, vessel, knoll, summit, crown of the head”), from Proto-Germanic *kuppaz, from Proto-Indo-European *gew- (“to bend, curve, arch”) (whence also obsolete English cop (“top, summit, crown of the head”), German Kopf (“top, head”)).
The Middle English word was further reinforced by Anglo-Norman cupe and Old French cope, coupe, from Latin cuppa. Compare also Saterland Frisian Kop (“cup”), West Frisian kop (“cup”), Dutch kop (“cup”), German Low German Koppke, Köppke (“cup”), Danish kop (“cup”), Swedish kopp (“cup”). Doublet of coupe, hive, and keeve.

unk

obscure

cog

that and a dollar will get you a cup of coffee

that and a nickel will buy you a cup of coffee

that and twenty-five cents will get you a cup of coffee

there's many a slip between the cup and the lip

there's many a slip twixt the cup and the lip

The ball just misses the cup.

(golf) A cup-shaped object placed in the target hole.

cassoleta

golf: cup-shaped object placed in the target hole


address

Tok Pisin: adres

→ Bole: adireshi

→ Cebuano: adres

→ Sinhalese: ඇඩ්රස් (æḍras)

→ Tagalog: adres

From Middle English adressen (“to raise erect, adorn”), from Old French adrecier (“to straighten, address”) (modern French adresser), from a- (from Latin ad (“to”)) + drecier (modern French dresser (“to straighten, arrange”)), from Vulgar Latin *dīrectiō, from Latin dīrēctus (“straight or right”), from the verb dīrigō, itself from regō (“to govern, to rule”). Cognate with Spanish aderezar (“to garnish; dress (food); to add spices”).

osoite

property — see also location, property, premises, residence

valmistautuminen

(obsolete in English) act of getting ready — see also preparation

(golf, Scotland) The act of bringing the head of the club up to the ball in preparation for swinging.

The Dictionary of the Scots Language
w:Dictionary of the Scots Language

Scottish Language Dictionaries
w:Scottish Language Dictionaries


address

en-verb

address (third-person singular simple present addresses, present participle addressing, simple past and past participle addressed or (obsolete) addrest)

addresses (present singular third-person)
addressing (participle present)
addressed (participle past)
addressed (past)
addrest (obsolete participle past)
addrest (obsolete past)

(transitive, golf, Scotland) To get ready to hit (the ball on the tee).


halve

halve (third-person singular simple present halves, present participle halving, simple past and past participle halved)

halves (present singular third-person)
halving (participle present)
halved (participle past)
halved (past)

From Middle English halven, helven, from Old English hilfan, helfan, *hielfan (“to halve, divide in two”), from Proto-West Germanic *halbijan, from Proto-Germanic *halbijaną (“to halve”), from Proto-Germanic *halbaz (“half”).
Cognate with Middle Dutch halven (“to halve”), Middle High German halben, helben (“to halve”). Compare also West Frisian helte (“to halve”), Dutch halveren (“to halve”), German Low German halberen (“to halve”), German halbieren (“to halve”), Danish halvere (“to halve”), Swedish halvera (“to halve”).

I, of course, had no difficulty in doing likewise, and we halved the hole; but the awkward fact remained that I must now gain every hole to win the match, for my opponent's score was "nine up," and there only remained ten holes to play.

All that counts is whether you won, lost, or halved the match.

2005, Bill Elliott, The Golf Bag Buddy: The Essential On-Course Reference, page 67:

(golf, transitive) In match play, to achieve a tie or draw on.


chip

→ Catalan: xip

→ Greek: τσιπ (tsip)

→ Italian: chip

→ Korean: 칩 (chip)

desc

→ Hebrew: צִ׳יפְּס, צִ׳יפּ

→ Hebrew: צִ׳יפְּס, צִ׳יפּ (chips, chip)

→ Hungarian: csip, csipsz

→ Turkish: cips, çip

→ Yiddish: טשיפּל (tshipl)

→ Welsh: tsip

Noun from Middle English chip, chippe, from Old English ċipp (“chip; small piece of wood, shaving”), from Old English *ċippian (“to cut; hew”) – attested in Old English forċippian (“to cut off”) –, from Proto-West Germanic *kippōn (“to cut; carve; hack; chop”), from Proto-Germanic *kippōną (“to chip, chop”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵeyb- (“to split; divide; germinate; sprout”). Related to Dutch kip, keep (“notch; nick; score”), Dutch kippen (“to hatch”), German Low German kippen (“to cut; clip; trim; shorten”), German kipfen (“to chop off the tip; snip”), Old Swedish kippa (“to chop”). Compare also chop.
The formally similar Old English ċipp, ċypp, ċyp (“a beam; log; stock; post”), from Proto-Germanic *kippaz (“log; beam”) (whence Old Saxon kip (“post”), Old High German kipfa, chipfa (“axle, stave”), Old Norse keppr (“cudgel, club”)) is a different, unrelated word either borrowed from Latin cippus (“stake; pale; post”) or borrowed from the same source language as the Latin.
Verb from Middle English chippen, from Old English *ċippian (“to cut; hew”) – attested in Old English forċippian (“to cut off”) – see above.

cog

(golf) A low shot, usually played at short range around and onto a green, intended to travel a short distance through the air and roll the remainder of the way towards the hole.


skinny

en-adj

skinny (comparative skinnier, superlative skinniest)

skinnier (comparative)
skinniest (superlative)

From Middle English skinny (“resembling skin”), equivalent to skin + -y. The meaning associated with lack of fat or muscle possibly derives from the phrase skin and bones; the meaning associated with nudity refers to the exposed skin.

inh

(golf) Synonym of thin (“type of shot where the ball is struck by the bottom part of the club head”)


driving

en-noun

driving (countable and uncountable, plural drivings)

From Middle English driving, drivinge, equivalent to drive + -ing. Compare Dutch drijving, German Treibung.

Heigh-ho! Sing heigh-ho! my Golf is most shocking; My driving is topping, my caddie's still mocking.

1899, L.P., “Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind”, in Golf Illustrated, volume 2, page 233:

Ever since I started talking to myself with this new attitude toward my driving and my performance on the first tee and the first few holes, I have experienced consistently better performance with my driver.

2003, Daniel Stewart Acuff, Golf Talk, page 57:

There is no such being as a golfer uninterested in his driving.

2012, Jeff Silverman, Classic Golf Stories: 26 Incredible Tales from the Links:

(golf) The act of driving the ball; hitting the ball a long distance, especially from the tee to the putting green.


drop

From Late Middle English droppe, Middle English drope (“small quantity of liquid; small or least amount of something; pendant jewel; dripping of a liquid; a shower; nasal flow, catarrh; speck, spot; blemish; disease causing spots on the skin”) [and other forms], from Old English dropa (“a drop”), from Proto-West Germanic *dropō (“drop (of liquid)”), from Proto-Germanic *drupô (“drop (of liquid)”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰrewb- (“to crumble, grind”).

nb...

dropan, droupe, (Northern England) droipe

afval

small quantity of liquid, just large enough to hold its own round shape through surface tension

piisk

very small quantity of liquid, or of anything

piisk

that which hangs or resembles a liquid globule

pudotettu esine

(online gaming, video games) item dropped by a defeated enemy

langemine

decline in degree, quality, quantity, or rate

afgrond

distance through which something drops, or falls below a certain level

An act or instance of dropping (in all senses).


tee

First attested in the 17th century as teaz, back-formation from obsolete Scots teaz, later reanalyzed as a plural.

(golf) A flat area of ground from which players hit their first shots on a golf hole.


tee

en-verb

tee (third-person singular simple present tees, present participle teeing, simple past and past participle teed)

tees (present singular third-person)
teeing (participle present)
teed (participle past)
teed (past)

If at any hole a competitor play his first stroke from outside the limits of the teeing-ground, he shall count that stroke, tee a ball, and play his second stroke from within these limits.


spoon

From Middle English spoon, spoune, spone, spon (“spoon, chip of wood”), from Old English spōn (“sliver, chip of wood, shaving”), from Proto-West Germanic *spānu, from Proto-Germanic *spēnuz (“chip, flake, shaving”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)peh₂- (“chip, shaving, log, length of wood”).
Cognate with Scots spun, spon (“spoon, shingle”), West Frisian spoen, Dutch spaan (“chip, flinders”), German Span (“chip, flake, shaving”), Swedish spån (“chip, flake”), Faroese spónur (“wood chip; spoon”), Ancient Greek σφήν (sphḗn, “wedge”)(though the connection to the Greek is likely impossible by modern reconstructions of PIE). Eclipsed non-native Middle English cuculer, coclear (“spoon”), from Old English cuculer, cuceler, cucler, borrowed from Latin cochlear (“spoon”).
The "metaphoric unit of personal energy" sense was coined by writer and disability advocate Christine Miserandino in 2003 (see spoon theory).

coinage

he who sups with the devil should have a long spoon

(golf, archaic) A wooden-headed golf club with moderate loft, similar to the modern three wood.


spoon

en-verb

spoon (third-person singular simple present spoons, present participle spooning, simple past and past participle spooned)

spoons (present singular third-person)
spooning (participle present)
spooned (participle past)
spooned (past)

Rosol spurned the chance to finish off a shallow second serve by spooning into the net, and a wild forehand took the set to 5-4, with the native of Prerov required to hold his serve for victory.

2012 June 28, Jamie Jackson, “Wimbledon 2012: Lukas Rosol shocked by miracle win over Rafael Nadal”, in the Guardian:

(tennis, golf, croquet) To hit (the ball) weakly, pushing it with a lifting motion, instead of striking with an audible knock.


approach

approach (third-person singular simple present approaches, present participle approaching, simple past and past participle approached)

approaches (present singular third-person)
approaching (participle present)
approached (participle past)
approached (past)

From Middle English aprochen, borrowed from Old French aprochier (modern French approcher), from Late Latin appropiāre, a verb based on Latin prope (“near”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pro- (a variant of *per- (“before, in front; first”)) + *-kʷe (“suffix forming distributives from interrogatives”)).

(intransitive, golf, tennis) To play an approach shot.


approach

From Middle English approche (“approach, arrival”), from approchen, aprochen (“to come or go near, approach; to adjoin, be close by; to enter (someone’s) presence; to be or become involved; to reach (a certain state); to arrive; to befall, happen to; to become similar to, resemble; to be a match for (someone)”); see etymology 1.

вход

avenue, passage, or way by which a building or place can be approached — see also access

захо́д

way an aircraft comes in to land at an airport


starter

Someone who starts, or who starts something.

(golf) A person employed to take new players to the first tee at suitable intervals, and to provide them with caddies and equipment.


bogie

LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-bogie.wav

(golf) A score of one over par on a hole.

Alternative spelling of bogey
A score of one over par on a hole.


bogey

bogeys (plural)
bogie (alternative)
bogy (alternative)

Probably related to or alteration of bogle, akin to or from a variant of Middle English bugge (“frightening specter, scarecrow”) (whence partly bug), of uncertain origin: perhaps from obsolete Welsh bwg (“ghost, hobgoblin”) (compare Welsh bwgwl (“threat”, older “fear”), Irish bagairt (“threat”)), from Proto-Celtic [Term?], or from Proto-Germanic *bugja- (“swollen up, thick”) (compare Norwegian bugge (“big man”), dialectal Low German Bögge and Alemannic German Böögg (“goblin”, “snot”)); see also Proto-Germanic *pūkô (“a goblin, spook”), whence obsolete English puck. Perhaps the Middle English and Welsh words come from a word related to buck and originally referred to a goat-shaped specter. Compare also booger.
The golf sense is from the devil as an imaginary player.


bogey

en-verb

bogey (third-person singular simple present bogeys, present participle bogeying, simple past and past participle bogeyed or bogied)

bogeys (present singular third-person)
bogeying (participle present)
bogeyed (participle past)
bogeyed (past)
bogied (participle past)
bogied (past)
bogie (alternative)
bogy (alternative)

(golf, ambitransitive) To make a bogey on (a particular hole).


like

en-noun

like (countable and uncountable, plural likes)

Adjective from Middle English lik, lyk, lich, like, from Old English ġelīċ by shortening, influenced by Old Norse líkr, glíkr; both from Proto-Germanic *galīkaz (“like, similar, same”). Related to alike; more distantly, with lich and -ly. Cognate with West Frisian like (“like; as”), Saterland Frisian gliek (“like”), Danish lig (“alike”), Dutch gelijk (“like, alike”), German gleich (“equal, like”), Icelandic líkur (“alike, like, similar”), Norwegian lik (“like, alike”) Swedish lik (“like, similar”)
Adverb from Middle English like, lyke, liche, lyche, from Old English ġelīċe (“likewise, also, as, in like manner, similarly”) and Old Norse líka (“also, likewise”); both from Proto-Germanic *galīkê, from Proto-Germanic *galīkaz (“same, like, similar”).
Conjunction from Middle English like, lyke, lik, lyk, from the adverb Middle English like.
Preposition from Middle English like, lyke, liche, lyche, lijc, liih (“similar to, like, equal to, comparable with”), from Middle English like (adjective) and like (adverb).

der

to play the like

(golf) The stroke that equalizes the number of strokes played by the opposing player or side.


skull

en-verb

skull (third-person singular simple present skulls, present participle skulling, simple past and past participle skulled)

skulls (present singular third-person)
skulling (participle present)
skulled (participle past)
skulled (past)
scull (alternative)

From Middle English sculle, scolle (also schulle, scholle), probably from a dialectal form of Old Norse skalli (“bald head, skull”), itself probably related to Old English sċealu (“husk”). Compare Scots scull, Danish skal (“skull”) and skalle (“bald head, skull”), Norwegian skalle, Swedish skalle and especially dialectal Swedish skulle.
Alternatively, perhaps from Old Norse skoltr, skolptr (“muzzle, snout”), akin to Icelandic skoltur (“jaw”), dialectal Swedish skult, skulle (“dome, crown of the head, skull”), Middle Dutch scolle, scholle, Middle Low German scholle, schulle (“clod, sod”), and Scots skult, skolt. Compare also Old High German sciula, skiula (“skull”).

Monte swung so hard at the next ball that he skulled it straight right, into the pond: 8 in, 9 out.

2002, Robert C. Knox, Golf Balls Are Female, page 148:

(transitive, golf) To strike the top of (the ball).


press

en-noun

press (countable and uncountable, plural presses)

From Middle English presse (“throng, crowd, clothespress”), partially from Old English press (“clothespress”) (from Medieval Latin pressa) and from Old French presse (Modern French presse) from Old French presser (“to press”), from Latin pressāre, from pressus, past participle of premere (“to press”). Displaced native Middle English thring (“press, crowd, throng”) (from Old English þring (“a press, crowd, anything that presses or confines”)).

cog

He can even the match with a press.

The way a press works is, say you're two down after six holes; you can then start another bet (in effect another match) from the seventh hole, for the same amount, starting all square on the seventh tee.

When a side is two or more points down in the match, they may request a press.

2014, Nicolae Sfetcu, Sports Betting, page 181:

(countable, golf, gambling) An additional bet in a golf match that duplicates an existing (usually losing) wager in value, but begins even at the time of the bet.


fade

From Middle English fade, vad, vade (“faded, pale, withered, weak”), from Middle Dutch vade (“weak, faint, limp”), from Old French fade (“weak, witless”), of obscure origin. Probably from Vulgar Latin *fatidus, from Latin fatuus (“insipid”).

If you confine yourself to hitting straight shots while you are developing your golf swing, you are less likely to develop a preference for hitting a fade or a draw.

2011, James Lythgoe, The Golf Swing: It's all in the hands, page 88:

(golf) A golf shot that curves intentionally to the player's right (if they are right-handed) or to the left (if left-handed).


fade

en-verb

fade (third-person singular simple present fades, present participle fading, simple past and past participle faded)

fades (present singular third-person)
fading (participle present)
faded (participle past)
faded (past)
vade (alternative)

The Golden Bear faded the ball from left to right with great consistency, so he seldom had to worry about trouble on the left.

2011, Gary McCord, Golf For Dummies, page 284:

(transitive, golf) To hit the ball with the shot called a fade.


par

en-noun

par (countable and uncountable, plural pars)

He needs to make this shot for par.

(golf, mostly uncountable) The allotted number of strokes to reach the hole.

Kaymer started with six straight pars before making a birdie on the seventh and an eagle on the eighth.

2009 January 18, “Paul Casey storms to four-stroke lead in Abu Dhabi”, in Herald Sun:

(golf, countable) A hole in which a player achieves par.


par

en-verb

par (third-person singular simple present pars, present participle parring, simple past and past participle parred)

pars (present singular third-person)
parring (participle present)
parred (participle past)
parred (past)

He will need to par every hole in order to win this game.

(transitive, golf) To reach the hole in the allotted number of strokes.


driver

desctree

→ Japanese: ドライバー (doraibā)
→ Hakka: 多拉把 (tô-lai-pá, tô-lai-pà, tò-lái-pà)
→ Hokkien: 螺賴把 /螺赖把 (lo͘-lài-bà)

→ Hokkien: 嚦峇 /呖峇 (lē-bā)

→ Scottish Gaelic: draibhear

From Middle English drivere, dryvere, dryvare, equivalent to drive + -er. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Drieuwer (“driver”), Dutch drijver (“driver”), German Low German Driever (“driver”), German Treiber (“driver”).

The brassey much resembled the driver, but the iron opened out quite a new field of practice; […]

1902, Robert Marshall Grade, The Haunted Major:

(golf) A golf club used to drive the ball a great distance.


gimme

Don't count two strokes for that — it was a gimme: if I wasn't holding the flag with my other hand for the next players waiting for the hole, it would have gone in.

(colloquial) That which is easy to perform or obtain, especially in sports.

(golf) A tap-in putt, usually a couple inches from the cup.


dogleg

LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-dogleg.wav

The noun is derived from dog + leg, referring to the shape of the hind leg of a dog. The verb is derived from the noun.

colzada

something with a sharp bend or turn in it

(also attributively) Something (such as a canyon or road) with a sharp bend or turn in it.

(golf, disc golf) A sharp bend in the fairway before reaching a hole.

colze

(golf, disc golf) sharp bend in a fairway before reaching a hole


hazard

en-noun

hazard (countable and uncountable, plural hazards)

From Middle English hasard, from Old French hasart (“a game of dice”) (noun), hasarder (verb), from Arabic اَلزَّهْر (az-zahr, “the dice”). Compare Spanish azar, Portuguese azar.

(golf) A sand or water obstacle on a golf course.


bulger

(golf) A driver or a brassy with a convex face.


caddy

Caddy, pass me my five iron.

As caddy I had to carry the clubs, for there are four varieties almost everyone used, and some used more. Besides doing this, the caddy has to keep score of the number of strokes used, and watch and find each ball.

1897 (date written), Paul T. B. Ward, quotee, “19th Hole: The Readers Take Over”, in Sports Illustrated, volume 19, number 4, Chicago, Ill.: Time Inc., published 22 July 1963, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 60:

Then Carter Chapman picked out his putter, stepped confidently up to the ball, sighted once along the ground, and made his stroke. The ball rolled straight as a die toward the caddy who was holding the flag, and tinkled into the cup for a birdie three!

1921 March, Octavus Roy Cohen, “Follow Through”, in Munsey’s Magazine, volume LXXII, number 2, New York, N.Y.: The Frank A[ndrew] Munsey Company, […], →OCLC, page 370, column 1:

(golf, also attributively) Alternative spelling of caddie (“a person hired to assist a golfer by carrying their golf clubs and providing advice”)


caddy

en-verb

caddy (third-person singular simple present caddies, present participle caddying, simple past and past participle caddied)

caddies (present singular third-person)
caddying (participle present)
caddied (participle past)
caddied (past)

I was honored to caddy for Tiger Woods at a charity golf game.

We took turns caddying, one caddying, two playing. We went out across the river to the teeing ground of the first hole.

The next day the thirty-two qualifying players were paired off into sixteen sets of opponents. Charlotte was matched against a girl from California. After the first few minutes, the result was never in doubt. "Take it easy, miss," said the highly gratified Mr. Ogilvie, who was caddying for Charlotte. "You hold her in the hollow of your hand."

1917 July, George Weston, chapter VI, in The Apple-tree Girl: The Story of Little Miss Moses, who Led Herself into the Promised Land, Philadelphia, Pa., London: J[oshua] B[allinger] Lippincott Company, published 1918, →OCLC, page 100:

The scheme had been, if I remember, that after lunch I should go off and caddy for Honoria on a shopping tour down Regent Street; but when she got up and started collecting me and the rest of her things, Aunt Agatha stopped her.

1923 May 17, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, “Introducing Claude and Eustace”, in The Inimitable Jeeves, Harmondsworth, Middlesex [London]: Penguin Books, published 1979, →ISBN, page 63:

(intransitive, golf) Chiefly followed by for: alternative spelling of caddie (“to serve as a caddy (noun sense) for a golfer”)


duff

duff (third-person singular simple present duffs, present participle duffing, simple past and past participle duffed)

duffs (present singular third-person)
duffing (participle present)
duffed (participle past)
duffed (past)

Originally thieves' slang; probably a back-formation from duffer.

(US, golf) To hit the ground behind the ball.


jigger

→ Catalan: gigre

From jig + -er (agent suffix). Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary suggests a possible link to Old High German gīga (“fiddle”).

(golf, dated) A golf club used to play low flying shots to the putting green from short distances.


stymie

stymies (plural)
stimie (alternative)
stimy (alternative)
stymy (alternative)

From the meaning in golf (where the stymie ball blocks the other ball from "seeing" the hole), perhaps from Scots stymie, stimie (“person with poor eyesight”), from Scots stime (“the least bit”). Or from Scots styme (“tiny bit, glimmer”) as in se nocht ane styme (“not to see a glimmer (of something)”). If so, it is a doublet of stime.

(golf) A situation where an opponent's ball is directly in the way of one's own ball and the hole, on the putting green (abolished 1952).


stymie

stymie (third-person singular simple present stymies, present participle stymieing or stymying, simple past and past participle stymied)

stymies (present singular third-person)
stymieing (participle present)
stymying (participle present)
stymied (participle past)
stymied (past)
stimie (alternative)
stimy (alternative)
stymy (alternative)

(golf) To bring into the position of, or impede by, a stymie.


slice

From Middle English sclise, sklise, from Old French esclice, esclis (“a piece split off”), deverbal of esclicer, esclicier (“to splinter, split up”), from Frankish *slitjan (“to split up”), from Proto-Germanic *slitjaną, from Proto-Germanic *slītaną (“to split, tear apart”), from Proto-Indo-European *sleyd- (“to rend, injure, crumble”). Akin to Old High German sliz, gisliz (“a tear, rip”), Old High German slīzan (“to tear”), Old English slītan (“to split up”), modern French éclisse. More at slite, slit.

der

(golf) A shot that (for the right-handed player) curves unintentionally to the right. See fade, hook, draw.


slice

en-verb

slice (third-person singular simple present slices, present participle slicing, simple past and past participle sliced)

slices (present singular third-person)
slicing (participle present)
sliced (participle past)
sliced (past)

no matter how thin you slice it, it's still baloney

(transitive, golf) To hit a shot that slices (travels from left to right for a right-handed player).

svirgolare

(golf) to hit a shot that travels to one side


honor

en-noun

honor (countable and uncountable, plural honors)

From Middle English honour, honor, honur, from Anglo-Norman honour, honur, from Old French honor, from Latin honor.
Displaced Middle English menske (“honor, dignity among men”), from Old Norse menskr (“honor”).
The verb is from Middle English honouren, honuren (“to honor”).

оньо́р

card games: one of the most valuable cards

a prophet has no honor in his own country

a prophet is not without honor save in his own country

(in the plural) The privilege of going first.

(golf) The right to play one's ball before one's opponent.

honor

golf: right to play one's ball before one's opponent


albatross

en-noun

albatross (plural albatross or albatrosses)

Uncertain. Probably from Spanish or Portuguese alcatraz (“pelican, gannet, albatross”), probably derived from Arabic الْغَطَّاس (al-ḡaṭṭās, “the diver”) (compare Alcatraz); or from Portuguese alcatruz (“water wheel bucket”), from Arabic الْقَادُوس (al-qādūs), from Ancient Greek κάδος (kádos, “pail, jar”), in reference to the pouch of a pelican. In either case, altered under the influence of Latin albus (“white”). Not derived from modern Arabic قَطْرَس (qaṭras, “albatross”), which is perhaps borrowed from Spanish.
For sense development of "burden", see albatross around one’s neck.

der

(golf) A double eagle, or three under par on any one hole, except a par 3 hole.


jungle

en-noun

jungle (countable and uncountable, plural jungles)

→ Catalan: jungla

→ Czech: džungle

→ Danish: jungle

→ Dutch: jungle

→ French: jungle
→ Romanian: junglă

desctree

→ German: Dschungel, Tschungel
→ Hungarian: dzsungel

→ Esperanto: ĝangalo

→ Italian: giungla

→ Japanese: ジャングル (janguru)

→ Korean: 정글 (jeonggeul)

→ Polish: dżungla

→ Russian: джу́нгли (džúngli)
→ Armenian: ջունգլի (ǰungli)
→ Georgian: ჯუნგლი (ǯungli)

→ Serbo-Croatian: džungla

→ Slovak: džungľa

→ Slovene: džungla

→ Spanish: jungla

→ Swedish: djungel

→ Ukrainian: джу́нглі (džúnhli)

→ Welsh: jyngl

/ˈd͡ʒʌŋ.ɡ(ə)l/

Borrowed from Hindustani جَن٘گَل (jaṅgal) / जंगल (jaṅgal), from Sanskrit जङ्गल (jaṅgala, “arid, sterile, desert”). First appears c. 1776 in a translation by Nathaniel Halhed.

der

you can take the monkey out of the jungle, but you can't take the jungle out of the monkey

Hitting from the Jungle. The rough at some courses is just weeds and sparse grass, as often as not giving a player a decent lie to shoot from. But grass above four inches is nasty. It will grab your club and alter your shots.

2006, Rob Blumer, Rex Chaney, Essential golf instruction, page 167:


fore

non-rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger

(golf) An exclamation yelled to inform players a ball is moving in their direction.

fore

in golf: yelled to inform players a ball is moving in their direction


sink

en-verb

sink (third-person singular simple present sinks, present participle sinking, simple past sank or (dialectal) sunk, past participle sunk or (archaic) sunken)

sinks (present singular third-person)
sinking (participle present)
sank (past)
sunk (dialectal past)
sunk (participle past)
sunken (archaic participle past)

From Middle English synken, from Old English sincan, from Proto-West Germanic *sinkwan, from Proto-Germanic *sinkwaną, from Proto-Indo-European *sengʷ- (“to fall, sink”).
Compare West Frisian sinke, Low German sinken, Dutch zinken, German sinken, Danish and Norwegian Bokmål synke, Swedish sjunka. In the causative sense, it replaced Old English senċan (“make sink”) from Proto-Germanic *sankwijaną.

der

My sister beats me at pool in public a second time. I claim some dignity back by potting two of my balls before Tammy sinks the black.

2008, Edward Keating, The Joy of Ex: A Novel:

(heading, physical) To move or be moved into something.

(transitive, snooker, pool, billiards, golf) To pot; hit a ball into a pocket or hole.


shank

From Middle English schanke, from Old English sċanca (“leg”), from Proto-West Germanic *skankō, from Proto-Germanic *skankô (compare West Frisian skonk, Dutch schenkel, Low German Schanke, German Schenkel (“shank, leg”), Danish skank, Norwegian skank, Swedish skänkel), from *skankaz (compare Old Norse skakkr (“wry, crooked”)), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)keng- (compare Middle Irish scingim (“I spring”), Ancient Greek σκάζω (skázō, “to limp”).

To a good golfer a shank is disgracefuller than being dead drunk or in jail.

1953, Arnold Gingrich, The Esquire Treasury:

(golf) A poorly played golf shot in which the ball is struck by the part of the club head that connects to the shaft.


shank

en-verb

shank (third-person singular simple present shanks, present participle shanking, simple past and past participle shanked)

shanks (present singular third-person)
shanking (participle present)
shanked (participle past)
shanked (past)

(transitive, golf) To misstrike the ball with the part of the club head that connects to the shaft.


relief

en-noun

relief (countable and uncountable, plural reliefs)

From Old French relief (“assistance”), from Old French relever (“to relieve”), from Latin relevare (“to raise up, make light”). See also relieve.

der

(golf) Permission for a player to move their ball to a more convenient spot before taking a shot, under certain circumstances.


bunker

→ Catalan: búnquer

desctree

→ German: Bunker
→ Polish: bunkier
→ Romanian: buncăr

The origin of the noun is uncertain; the earliest sense is sense 6.1 (“box or chest, the lid of which serves as a seat”), from Scots bunker (“bench; pew; window-seat; sand pit (especially in golf); coal receptacle; sleeping berth, bunk”), from Early Scots bunker, bunkur, bonker (“a chest or box, often serving as a seat”), probably from Old Norse bunki (“a heap”) (probably whence bunk (“sleeping berth in a ship, train, etc.”)), from Proto-Germanic *bunkô (“a heap, pile; a bump, lump, a crowd”), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *bʰenǵʰ- (“thick”) or *bʰeg- (“to billow, swell; to arch, bend, curve (?)”). Compare Middle Low German bunge (“drum, container”), Middle High German bunge (“drum”). Sense 1 (“hardened shelter designed to protect the inhabitants from falling bombs or other attacks”) was derived from German Bunker during World War II, which was itself from bunker (“large bin or container for storing coal”) (sense 5).
The verb is derived from the noun.

cog

[Letter X, page 204] At length I came within sight of them, three in number, where they sat cosily niched, into what you might call a bunker, a little sand-pit, dry and snug, and surrounded by its banks, and a screen of whins in full bloom. […] [Letter XI, page 223] And are ye in the wont of drawing up wi' all the gangrel bodies that ye meet on the high road, or find cowering in a sand-bunker upon the links?

1824 June, [Walter Scott], “Letter X. Darsie Latimer to Alan Fairford.”; “Letter XI. The Same to the Same.”, in Redgauntlet, […], volume I, Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne and Co.] for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co., →OCLC, pages 204 and 223:

(golf) A hazard on a golf course consisting of a sand-filled hollow.


bunker

en-verb

bunker (third-person singular simple present bunkers, present participle bunkering, simple past and past participle bunkered)

bunkers (present singular third-person)
bunkering (participle present)
bunkered (participle past)
bunkered (past)

попадам в пясъчника

to hit (a golf ball) into a bunker; to place (a golfer) in the position of having a golf ball in a bunker

(transitive, golf) To hit (a golf ball) into a bunker; (chiefly passive voice) to place (a golfer) in the position of having a golf ball in a bunker.

Proteus. Or we resign and tell the country that we cant carry on the King's Government under conditions which destroy our responsibility. / Balbus. Thatll do it. He couldnt face that. / Crassus. Yes: thatll bunker him.

1928 December (date written), [George] Bernard Shaw, The Apple Cart: A Political Extravaganza, London: Constable and Company, published 1930, →OCLC, Act I, page 18:

(idiomatic, UK, informal) To place (someone) in a position that is difficult to get out of; to hinder.


fringe

From Middle English frenge, from Old French frenge, from Vulgar Latin *frimbia, a metathesis of Latin fimbriae (“fibers, threads, fringe”, plural), of uncertain origin. Compare German Franse and Danish frynse. Eclipsed native Middle English fnæd (“fringe”), Middle English byrd (“fringe”), Middle English fasel (“fringe”) from Old English fæs (“fringe”), and Old English fnæs (“fringe”). Doublet of fimbria.


condor

→ Welsh: condor

→ Korean: 콘도르 (kondoreu)

From Spanish cóndor, from Classical Quechua kuntur. The change /t/ to /d/ was charactersitic of the "coastal" variety of the language.

(golf) The completion of a hole four strokes under par (a quadruple birdie, triple eagle, or double albatross).


caddie

caddies (plural)
cady (alternative)
cadie (alternative)
cadie (alternative)
caddy (alternative)
cadie (alternative)
caddy (alternative)

The noun is borrowed from Scots caddie (“military cadet; young man; ragamuffin; person engaged to run errands; person hired to assist a golfer”), from French cadet (“army cadet; younger sibling”), from capdet (“captain; chief”) (Gascony, archaic), from Late Latin capitettum, from Latin caput (“head”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap- (“head”). Doublet of cadel, cadet, capital, capitellum, caudillo, and Kadet.
The verb is derived from the noun.

doublet

(by extension, golf, also attributively) A person hired to assist a golfer by carrying their golf clubs and providing advice.


caddie

en-verb

caddie (third-person singular simple present caddies, present participle caddying or caddieing, simple past and past participle caddied)

caddies (present singular third-person)
caddying (participle present)
caddieing (participle present)
caddied (participle past)
caddied (past)
caddy (alternative)

(intransitive, golf) Chiefly followed by for: to serve as a caddie (noun sense 2) for a golfer.


putting

en-noun

putting (usually uncountable, plural puttings)

(golf) A variety of golf in which balls are tapped into holes over short distances using a putter.


gobble

From Middle English gobben (“to drink or swallow greedily”), of uncertain origin + -le (frequentative suffix). Middle English gobben is perhaps an alteration of Middle English globben (“to gulp down”), related to English gulpen (“to gulp”). However, compare also French gober.

der

(golf) A rapid straight putt so strongly played that, if the ball had not gone into the hole, it would have gone a long way past.


Grand Slam

(golf) The four (or five) biggest competitions of the year; see Grand Slam (golf) on Wikipedia.


waggle

From Middle English wagelen (attested in wagelyng), possibly a borrowing of Middle Low German wagelen; equivalent to wag + -le (“(frequentative)”). Compare continental equivalents Middle High German wacken ( > Danish vakle, German wackeln), Swedish vagla, West Frisian waggelje, Low German wackeln, Dutch waggelen.

(golf) The preliminary swinging of the club head back and forth over the ball in the line of the proposed stroke.


choke

en-verb

choke (third-person singular simple present chokes, present participle choking, simple past and past participle choked)

chokes (present singular third-person)
choking (participle present)
choked (participle past)
choked (past)
choak (alternative)
choake (alternative)
chock (alternative)

From Middle English choken (also cheken), from earlier acheken, from Old English āċēocian (“to choke”), probably derived from Old English ċēoce, ċēace (“jaw, cheek”), see cheek. Cognate with Icelandic kok (“throat”), koka (“to gulp”). See also achoke.

Take a grip with your right hand, slightly choked down from your normal grip.

2014, Roger Fredericks, The Flexible Golf Swing, page 108:

(golf, baseball, transitive) To hold the club or bat lower on the shaft in order to shorten one's swing.


overplay

overplay (third-person singular simple present overplays, present participle overplaying, simple past and past participle overplayed)

overplays (present singular third-person)
overplaying (participle present)
overplayed (participle past)
overplayed (past)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-overplay.wav

The first few shots went wonderfully, but Robin overplayed the last and lost.

(transitive, golf) To accidentally hit (one's golf ball) beyond "the green".

uitslaan

To accidentally hit (one's golf ball) beyond the green


scramble

Origin uncertain. Perhaps from earlier dialectal scramble, scrammel (“to collect or rake together with the hands”), from scramb (“to pull or scrape together with the hands”) + -le (frequentative suffix) (compare Dutch schrammen (“to graze, brush, scratch”)); or alternatively from a nasalised form of scrabble (“to scrape or scratch quickly”).

cog

(golf) A statistic used in assessing a player's short game, consisting of a chip or putt from under 50 yards away that results in requiring one putt or less on the green.

(golf) A variant of golf in which each player in a team tees off on each hole, and the players decide which shot was best. Every player then plays their second shot from within a club length of where the best ball has come to rest, and the procedure is repeated until the hole is finished.


hole in one

en-noun

hole in one (plural holes in one or hole in ones)

holes in one (plural)
hole in ones (plural)

(golf) A hole that is completed by sinking the ball in a single shot or attempt, with one hit.


potty

en-adj

potty (comparative pottier, superlative pottiest)

pottier (comparative)
pottiest (superlative)

The Eastbourne Green is by no means a " potty " one, and happily belies its appearance.

1890, Golf...: A Weekly Record of "ye Royal and Auncient" Game:

"A potty little nine-hole affair at a hydro in the Midlands. My cousins stay there. Always will. Not but what the fourth and the seventh holes take some doing. You could manage it, though," he said encouragingly.

1909, Rudyard Kipling, The House Surgeon:


takeaway

takeaways (plural)
take-away (alternative)

One drill to help you work on the long, low takeaway is to place a tee, a coin, or even another ball just beyond your back foot (whatever you choose should be slightly inside your toe to promote a slightly inside swing path).

2001, David Chmiel, Kevin Morris, Golf Past 50, page 40:

Make sure your hands and shoulders work together during the takeaway.

2005, Paul G. Schempp, Peter Mattsson, Golf: Steps To Success, page 55:

Tiger Woods, like other golfing greats, employs a smooth, evenly paced takeaway action.

2007, John Andrisani, Golfweek′s 101 Winning Golf Tips, unnumbered page:

(golf) The preliminary part of a golfer′s swing when the club is brought back away from the ball.


mulligan

en-noun

mulligan (countable and uncountable, plural mulligans)

Attested since the 1930s in the sense “chance to re-take a golf stroke”; probably from the name Mulligan, after a golfer who replayed a stroke. See Wikipedia for more information.

uusi käsi

card games: opportunity to draw a new initial hand

If you lose your drive in the water, take a mulligan and try again.

(golf) An unpenalized chance to re-take a stroke that went awry.

mulligan

golf: unpenalized chance to re-take a stroke


PGA

It had been 2,836 days since Chris Kirk last won on the PGA Tour. Yet after securing his first victory in over seven years on Sunday, that was not the first milestone the American golfer had on his mind.

2023 February 27, Jack Bantock, “Chris Kirk battled alcoholism and depression – now he has secured his first PGA Tour victory in seven years”, in CNN:

Professional Golfers Association
w:Professional Golfers Association

(golf) Initialism of Professional Golfers Association.


PW

PW (countable and uncountable, plural PWs)

(golf, countable) Initialism of pitching wedge.


back door

back doors (plural)
backdoor (alternative)
back-door (alternative)

Sometimes the ball will curve around and enter from the back-door.

2010, Bob Glanville, Golf: The Game of Lessening Failures, page 14:

(golf, informal) The rear side of the hole, furthest from the golfer.


fairway

(golf) The area between the tee and the green, where the grass is cut short.

carrer

(golf) the area between the tee and the green


hickory

hickory (countable and uncountable, plural hickories)

hickories (plural)
pokickery (alternative)
hiccory (alternative)
hickery (alternative)
hickry (alternative)

A shortening of pockerchicory/pokickery/pohickery, from Powhatan pawcohiccora.

What you find out is, if you have good hickories, you can play anywhere from 5,300 yards to 6,100 with no problem.

2012, Lee Pace, The Golden Age of Pinehurst: The Story of the Rebirth of No. 2, page 117:

I still had in my possession thirteen sets of hickories and a good stock of gutty golf balls, […]

2013, Alfie Ward, Fairways! What Fairways?, page 182:

(countable, golf, informal) A club with a head made from hickory wood.


ding

en-verb

ding (third-person singular simple present dings, present participle dinging, simple past dinged or (obsolete) dang, past participle dinged or (obsolete) dung)

dings (present singular third-person)
dinging (participle present)
dinged (past)
dang (obsolete past)
dinged (participle past)
dung (obsolete participle past)

From Middle English dingen, dyngen (strong verb), from Old English *dingan (“to ding”), from Proto-West Germanic *dingwan, from Proto-Germanic *dingwaną (“to beat”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰen- (“to beat, push”).
Related to Old English denġan, denċġan (“to ding, knock, beat, strike”, weak verb) and Old Norse dengja (“to hammer”, weak verb); both from Proto-Germanic *dangijaną (“to beat, hammer, peen”), causative of *dingwaną.
Cognate with Icelandic dengja (“to hammer”), Swedish dänga (“to bang, beat”), Danish dænge (“to bang, beat”), German tengeln, dengeln (“to peen”).

cog

(transitive, golf) To mishit (a golf ball).


brassie

brassies (plural)
brassey (alternative)
brassy (alternative)

(golf, dated) A wooden-headed golf club with a brass base plate, similar to a modern two wood.


niblick

On this occasion he had just examined some notes of other mashie shots, had put the notebook back in his pocket, and had addressed his ball with a niblick that had an unusually roughened face and a head like a hatchet.

1924, Ford Madox Ford, Parade’s End, Random House, page 75:

(golf, dated) A metal-headed golf club with a large highly lofted head. Replaced by a sand iron or wedge in a modern set of clubs.


niblick

en-verb

niblick (third-person singular simple present niblicks, present participle niblicking, simple past and past participle niblicked)

niblicks (present singular third-person)
niblicking (participle present)
niblicked (participle past)
niblicked (past)

(golf, ambitransitive) To strike, or take a shot, with a niblick.


mashie

Scottish English, from French massue (“club”)

Florence L. Harvey (1916-01) “Chilly Days and Muddy Courses”, in Golfers Magazine, volume 28, number 1, Chicago, page 9: “Do not think that is because I do not value a mashie, on the contrary it is my favorite club and one with which I am far surer than any other, in dry weather.”

(golf, dated) A metal-headed golf club with a moderate loft, the equivalent of a five iron in a modern set of clubs.


cleek

He had begun at four, playing with a miniature cleek and a found shilling ball over the municipal links.

1924, Ford Madox Ford, Some Do Not... (Parade's End), Penguin, published 2012, page 58:

(golf, dated) A metal-headed golf club with little loft, equivalent in a modern set of clubs to a one or two iron or a four wood.


cleek

cleek (third-person singular simple present cleeks, present participle cleeking, simple past and past participle cleeked)

cleeks (present singular third-person)
cleeking (participle present)
cleeked (participle past)
cleeked (past)

[…] ready to acclaim his exploits, and listen to volumes about every hole, and the marvellous way in which he cleeked his tee off the bogie.

1914, Mrs. George de Horne Vaizey, Lady Cassandra, page 71:

(golf, dated, transitive) To strike with the club called a cleek.


baff

baff (third-person singular simple present baffs, present participle baffing, simple past and past participle baffed)

baffs (present singular third-person)
baffing (participle present)
baffed (participle past)
baffed (past)

Probably from Scots baff, beff, bauf, probably from West Flemish baf, baffe (“a blow, slap in the face”). Compare also Old French baffe (“slap in the face”) (Modern French baffe), of imitative origin.

(golf) To strike the ground with the bottom of the club when taking a stroke.


birdie

He scored ten birdies during the tournament.

The heat brought one blessing. It baked the 7,053-yard par 35-35—70 course to concrete hardness and gave some added roll to the drives. Birdie, which have been at a premium, came easier.

1964 June 16, “All Eyes On Lema At U.S. Open This Week”, in The Indianapolis Star, volume 62, number 11, Indianapolis, Ind., page 22:

(golf) The completion of a hole one stroke below par.

birdie

golf: completion of a hole one stroke below par


birdie

birdie (third-person singular simple present birdies, present participle birdieing or birdying, simple past and past participle birdied)

birdies (present singular third-person)
birdieing (participle present)
birdying (participle present)
birdied (participle past)
birdied (past)
birdy (alternative)

Sörenstam birdied to take the lead.

Sörenstam birdied the seventeenth hole to take the lead.

(transitive, golf) To score a birdie at (a hole).


dogballs

From dog + balls, since a figure eight on its side resembles a male dog's genitalia.

(slang, golf) A score of eight on any one hole, generally regarded as a very poor score, because the maximum number (par) for any golf hole is five.


putty

en-noun

putty (countable and uncountable, plural putties)

Borrowed from French potée (“polishing powder", originally "the contents of a pot, potful”), from French pot (“pot”). More at English pot.

bor

(golf, colloquial) A golf ball made of composition and not gutta-percha.


chip in

en-verb

chip in (third-person singular simple present chips in, present participle chipping in, simple past and past participle chipped in)

chips in (present singular third-person)
chipping in (participle present)
chipped in (participle past)
chipped in (past)

He chipped in from 20 yards for a birdie.

(intransitive, golf) To put a chip shot in the hole.


nineteenth hole

en-noun

nineteenth hole (plural nineteenth holes)

From an extension of the golf course hole-numbering system, wherein a (normal) full-length course consists of eighteen holes.

The incident occurred at the "University Bar," Sinclair Road, the public house now styled the "Nineteenth Hole."

1972, The Diced Cap: The Story of Aberdeen City Police, page 79:

Many golfers enjoy the tradition associated with the nineteenth hole. This tradition usually involves a trip to the clubhouse bar, or something serving its reasonable approximation, [... for] a few drinks. On occasion, some golfers get carried away at the nineteenth hole, sometimes in handcuffs.

2007, John H. Minan, The Little Green Book of Golf Law: The Real Rules of the Game of Golf, →ISBN, page 145:

As it was told to me in the nineteenth hole, a cracking pub in the center of town, […]

2009, Tom Coyne, A Course Called Ireland: A Long Walk, →ISBN, page 50:

(golf) A pub/bar where golfers go for drinks after a game of golf, usually in the clubhouse at the course; equivalent to après-ski.

nittende hul

nittonde hål (usually in definite singular: nittonde hålet)


screamer

Kasper Schmeichel brilliantly denied Marouane Chamakh before Bacary Sagna thumped home a second, though Bradley Johnson's screamer halved the deficit.

2011 January 19, Jonathan Stevenson, “Leeds 1 - 3 Arsenal”, in BBC:


chipper

(golf) A golf club for making chip shots.


worm burner

From the humorous notion that any worms on the ground might be burned by the rapid passage of the ball.


double eagle

(golf) Three under par, one stroke short of an ace (a hole in one) on a par-five hole.

iolar dúbailte

golf: three under par, one stroke short of an ace


golf course

(golf) The land where one plays golf, with tees, fairways, greens and flags in holes.


driving range

Improve your golf swing by taking your mate to the driving range. If you're good, you can show off and give her some tips. If you stink, play it for laughs.

2008 January–February, “70 Ways to Improve Every Day of the Week”, in Men's Health, volume 23, number 1, →ISSN, page 135:

(golf) An area where golfers practice their swing, and try to hit the ball far, toward no target.


crazy golf

(golf) A variation on golf, played on a smaller scale, where players have to putt the golf ball into a hole, past various obstructions.


putting green

→ Korean: 퍼팅 그린 (peoting geurin)

(golf) The area of a golf course nearest the hole, with a smoother surface to make putting easier.


sand wedge

(golf) A golf club (an iron) with a heavy flange on the bottom, ideal for bunker shots.


double bogey

(golf) A score of two over par (for one hole).


triple bogey

(golf) A score of three over par (for one hole)


tap in

(golf) A simple, short putt very close to the hole.


tee off

en-verb

tee off (third-person singular simple present tees off, present participle teeing off, simple past and past participle teed off)

tees off (present singular third-person)
teeing off (participle present)
teed off (participle past)
teed off (past)

I always check the wind direction before I tee off.

(golf) To hit the first shot of the hole, from the tee.


LPGA

Ladies Professional Golf Association
w:Ladies Professional Golf Association

(golf) Initialism of Ladies Professional Golf Association.


approach shot

(golf) Any shot, normally not when teeing off, aimed to land on the green, hit for accuracy more than power.


Bermuda green

en-noun

Bermuda green (countable and uncountable, plural Bermuda greens)

(golf, countable) A green whose surface consists of Bermuda grass.


greenie

From green + -ie. Environmentalist sense first attested in Australia in 1973, referring to trade unionists who supported green bans.

(golf) The player whose ball is closest to the hole on a par-3 hole after the first shot (drive), in the case when multiple players reach the green on that first shot and the player with the closest ball sinks the ball within the next two shots.


divot

1530s, Scots divot (“turf”), also spelt devat, diffat, and the earliest form (1435), duvat(e), from Scottish Gaelic dubhad, a reduced form of dubh-fhàd, literally “black sod” (compare fàl (“turf, sod”)).

Usually her voice came over the wire as something fresh and cool, as if a divot from a green golf-links had come sailing in at the office window, but this morning it seemed harsh and dry.

1925, F[rancis] Scott Fitzgerald, chapter 8, in The Great Gatsby, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, published 1953, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 155:

Soon, thick dark tufts of hair began to spread across his scalp, hanging over his ears, a moor of unruly divots which he was first unable to tame and with time willingly cultivated.

2007, Lewis Crofts, chapter 1, in The Pornographer of Vienna, London: Old Street, page 4:

(especially golf) A torn-up piece of turf, especially by a golf club in making a stroke or by a horse's hoof.


divot

en-verb

divot (third-person singular simple present divots, present participle divoting, simple past and past participle divoted)

divots (present singular third-person)
divoting (participle present)
divoted (participle past)
divoted (past)

(transitive, especially golf) To tear up pieces of turf from, especially with a golf club in making a stroke.


dubbed

She also told me how my dad, no athlete, played tennis on the island, and how her favorite aunt, Aunt May — a nurse and a woman well ahead of her time — threw her golf clubs in one of the island's canals when one of her dubbed shots went into the water.

2000, Joseph Anthony Amato, Bypass: A Memoir, page 32:

For those of us who play a sport for fun, it is not the missed baskets that bring us back to the basketball court or the dubbed golf shots back to the golf course.

2002, William Becker, How to OD... and Live to Tell About It, page 141:

In golf, it tends to occur with dubbed shots affecting the lead wrist (left wrist in a right-handed golfer).

2010, William P. Cooney, The Wrist: Diagnosis and Operative Treatment, page 1172:

(golf, of a shot) Poorly executed; mis-swung.


blaster

The "blaster" type of club has been blamed for doing its share in making golf courses look ridiculous, […]

1948, Henry Cotton, This Game of Golf, page 119:

The person who has a sand wedge - the blaster - for these shots has a distinct advantage.

1962, Gary Player, Golf Secrets, page 61:


frog hair

en-noun

frog hair (usually uncountable, plural frog hairs)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-frog hair.wav

(golf) The closely mown grass that surrounds a putting green, between the putting surface and any rough that might also surround the green.


army golf

The term stems from the army marching cadence: left-right-left. In other words, a golfer hits one shot to the left, the next to the right, and very few of them straight.

I play army golf; right, left, right, left from one side of the course to the other. More than I would like, I hit the ball into shrubs or trees rather than into the generous mowed areas of grass.

2002, John P. Borden, The Complete Guide for the Romantically Challenged Male, page 102:

(golf, slang, humorous, derogatory) The situation when a player is spraying the golf ball all over the golf course in different directions.


clubhouse

(golf) A building at a golf course that houses various activities associated with golf.


rub of the green

rub of the green (plural rubs of the green)

(golf) Any accidental deflection of the ball by an outside agency (spectator, caddie etc); the ball is played without penalty from where it comes to rest


below par

(golf) (of a score) Less than par for the hole or course (which in golf, means better than par).


lofted

(golf, of a golf club) Having (a specified amount of) loft.


sand trap

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-sand trap.wav

(golf) A sand-filled hollow, on a golf course, used as a hazard; a bunker.


miniature golf

(golf) An informal form of golf, played with a putter on a short course featuring novelty obstacles.


TPC

Tournament Players Club
w:Tournament Players Club

(golf) Initialism of Tournament Players Club.


drop shot

drop shots (plural)
dropshot (alternative)

deixada

a lightly struck shot that lands just in play

(golf) A downward chopping shot used to extract a ball that lies deep in the grass.


dormie

(golf) In match play, leading the match by the same number of holes as remain to be played.


fat

en-adj

fat (comparative fatter, superlative fattest)

fatter (comparative)
fattest (superlative)

Of sense: lean

carrying a larger than normal amount of fat; antonym(s) of

Sranan Tongo: fatu

From Middle English fat, from Old English fǣtt (“fatted, fat”), from Proto-West Germanic *faitid (“fatted”), originally the past participle of the verb *faitijan (“to make fat”), from *fait (“fat”).

chubby

Hitting a thin shot from a fairway bunker is more productive than hitting a fat shot.

1992, DeDe Owens, Linda K. Bunker, Advanced Golf: Steps to Success, page 81:

(golf) Being a shot in which the ground is struck before the ball.